On the afternoon of July 1, 2004, the 5th ASEAN and China, Japan and Korea (10 plus 3) Foreign Ministers' Meeting was concluded in Jakarta. The foreign ministers exchanged views on regional and other international issues, especially the Korean Peninsula issue.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda said in a press conference following the meeting that the Foreign Ministers welcomed the progress scored during the Six-Party Talks on the Nuclear Issue of the Korean Peninsula which were held from June 23 to 25 in Beijing and believed all the parties will try their best to resolve the nuclear issue peacefully.

Hassan said the meeting has noticed the progress that the 10 plus 3 Foreign Ministers' Meeting has achieved over the past year, in particular, the expanded cooperation in politics and economy.

Hassan also said the meeting has taken notice of China's proposal on "promoting the investments in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)" which would be further discussed in future meetings. They also talked about the preparatory work for the next 10 plus 3 Heads of State Meeting to be held in Laos on November 2.

Meanwhile the one-day-long ASEAN and Its Dialogue Partners Meeting were also wrapped up on the same night. The ASEAN foreign ministers held dialogues with the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, the European Union as well as the United States respectively. These meetings highlighted future cooperation between ASEAN and these dialogue partners. The foreign ministers expressed their support for the establishment of the ASEAN Community which as they believed will bring peace, stability and prosperity to the Southeastern Asian area.

The establishment of the ASEAN Community was proposed by Indonesia last year. The community is planned to consist of an economic community, a security community and a socio-cultural community.